Iran studying EU proposal for informal talks with P4+1, US

Iran is considering the European Union’s offer to attend an informal meeting between Iran and other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, with Washington also attending as a guest, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, Report informs referring to Xinhua.

"We are now considering (the EU’s chief diplomat) Josep Borrell’s proposal and are consulting with other friends and partners,’ Araqchi noted.

On Feb. 19, an EU senior official said the EU was working to organize such an informal meeting after Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested earlier that the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell could coordinate a synchronized return of both Tehran and Washington to the commitment with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Araqchi reiterated Tehran’s position that, in principle, ‘the return of the US to JCPOA, the implementation of its commitments, and the lifting of sanctions do not require negotiations.’

The Iranian deputy minister insisted that Iran will not negotiate its military capabilities or its regional policy but voiced Tehran’s determination to put other issues on the table if and after the US becomes a JCPOA participant again after lifting sanctions against Iran.